This invention relates to a pet food supplement and process for decreasing adiposity in animals, and more particular, to a pet food supplement which includes beneficial amounts of Vitamin A in the animal's diet.
Obesity is extremely prevalent in many species including humans, dogs, cats and horses. For example, 20 to 40% of dogs and humans have been estimated to be overweight or obese. Traditionally, high fiber diets have been used to combat obesity. However, high fiber diets are often associated with several undesirable side effects including decreased palatability of food, increased stool volume, increased defecation frequency, poor skin and hair, improper mineral balance, and decreased food digestibility.
An alternative way to control weight is to induce energy expenditure in an individual. Changing the metabolism of fat tissue may regulate energy expenditure. Fat tissue is generally categorized as white adipose tissue (WAT) or brown adipose tissue (BAT). Energy expenditure, in part, is regulated by BAT. Within BAT is uncoupling protein (UCP)-1. UCP1 is a proton carrier that, upon activation, causes the uncoupling of respiration from oxidative phosphorylation, thus causing increased energy expenditure from the body through heat generation. It is known that all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), one of the active metabolites of vitamin A, can induce the gene expression of UCP1 in brown adipose tissue (BAT) of rats. Due to its function in energy expenditure and energy balance, BAT has been implicated to play an important role in the control of obesity.
Another gene that has been recently identified to play an important role in energy homeostasis is the ob gene. The product of the ob gene, leptin, is primarily produced in white adipose tissue (WAT). Leptin is believed to be the signal for the level of adiposity, and this hormone both suppresses food intake and increases energy expenditure. However, there have been few studies on diet compositions designed to induce energy expenditure as a means to control obesity.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for decreasing adiposity in animals including companion animals such as dogs, cats, and horses.